2009: 2004 All Over Again

I'll be honest, 2004 was probably one of the best years of my life. I graduated high school, i turned 18, got my drivers license and just pretty much did whatever the hell i wanted to. That was also the year that i discovered my one true love; LIVE MUSIC. I had always loved going to shows and seeing people in concert, but for some reason in 2004 it hit me like a rock. It was all i wanted to do. I would hit 3 shows in 3 days on school nights and go to school dead as fuck, but i didn't care. Road trips to LA were frequent. I had the opportunity of meeting and hanging out with a lot of people i admired in the music world and made quite a few friends along the way. Then the years following, just never lived up. Don't get me wrong, i gave birth to my daughter which was the most amazing day in my life. And every day since i've had her has been amazing and a blessing. But somewhere in all of the commotion and craziness, i lost myself. I stopped going to shows, hell i stopped doing a lot of things that used to make me happy. And when 2009 hit, i made some major changes in my life that i felt were necessary and i never looked back. I vowed to make 2009 what every year after 2004 should have been. And god damnit did i ever. Yes of course things were a little different seeing as how i had a daughter. But that just made things more fun. I got a new job, got back into going to shows, i finally stopped pussing out and got the ink done that i wanted, i bought myself a car and again, made a lot of new friends along the way. I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to help film a live dvd for one of my favorite bands. I got to shoot photos from a press pit. I went back to Warped Tour for the first time since 2004 as a 'worker'. More road trips back down to LA. Most of all, i felt like i was finally 'ME' again. Most of what i felt was missing in my life had returned. And for someone who spent 2 years dealing with severe postpartum depression, to feel like yourself again is a really big deal.

I would have to say some of my favorite parts of this year (not including time spent with my daughter), had to be the many times i got to see my boys in Hollywood Undead. From hometown shows, to Vegas, to New Mexico, to Sacramento, home and then Vegas again...it was always good times.

Picture post will come soon. For now, time to go wait on the countdown with my little one. <3